Live Poker Blog and Podcasts

One way to avoid making mistakes in life is to learn from those of others. If you haven’t already, pick up “One of a Kind: The Rise and Fall of Stuey ‘The Kid’ Ungar, the World’s Greatest Poker Player”.

It is generally agreed in the poker community that Stu Ungar was the greatest poker player in the history of the game, certainly the greatest no limit hold’em player. It is estimated that he won over $30 million in his lifetime, including the World Series which he won three times (1980, 1981, and his “comeback” win in 1997).

When he was found dead a year later in 1998 from a drug overdose, he could not pay for his own funeral. Ungar’s story illustrates that it is not the opponents at the table that are so much of a problem: it is those that are inside. Rather instructive for all of us.

The book itself is a great read and hard to put down. Doyle Brunson says: “I knew Stuey Ungar well and played with him many, many times. He was one of the most remarkable characters to ever sit down at a poker table.”

“Reading One of a Kind not only brought him back to life for me, it vividly re-created a time and place that we’ll likely never see again. For anyone interested in understanding and unraveling the legend of poker’s most creative thinker and tortured soul, this is the real deal!”

If you like DVDs, check out The Highroller, Stu Ungar’s story. The movie does not come anywhere near the quality of the book, but it is still worth watching.

Was Stu an idiot or a genius? Strangely, those two do not seem to be mutually exclusive.

We all have our favorite poker players. When you ask around, lot of names will get thrown. Surprisingly few people mention Dan Harrington. It is surprising because Dan is a true “gamer’s gamer”.

Dan is a former backgammon and chess champion. By profession a lawyer, he won the World Series of Poker in 1995 cashing in “only” a million. Incredibly, “Action” Dan (an ironic reference to his tight playing style) made the final table in the main even of the World Series three other times: finishing 6th in 1987, 3rd in 2003 (the memorable Moneymaker-Farha table), and 4th in 2004.

The story of his win in 1995 is just funny. Down to the final table, Harrington proposed a 9-way settlement. He explained to other players how everyone could get rich and even offered free investment counseling.

One of the players (now largely unknown) outrightly rejected the idea and influenced the others to do so as well. The rest is history. Dan rolled over the table to take the million.

Dan of course does not limit himself to poker. He is also a successful real estate and stock market investor.

Despite his accomplishments, Dan loves to keep a low profile. There is no “official” web site. When he plays, there are no flashy clothes or “status symbols”. It is not about glamour for Dan. It is about the game.

The cool thing is that Dan wrote three books about the game, the series “Harrington on Hold’em”. If you don’t have them, drop everything and run to your bookstore! They are worth their weight in gold.

The first volume deals with Strategic Play, the second volume with End Game, and the third volume is a nifty little Workbook. Learn no limit hold’em from a guy who made close to $5 million in his life playing live poker. Check out all of Dan’s books at Amazon.

Dan may be getting old, but he’s still the Man!

Ok, so you asked yourself: how the hell do I get better? How do I improve my game? Well, think of two things for now:

1) Start where you are and take the game apart. It really does not matter if your limit is $2/$4 or $20/$40. How much do you exactly know about the game? For example: what is the minimal hand that wins at least 50% of pots heads-up in your game? What is the minimal hand that wins more than its fair share in a three way pot (i.e. hand that wins more than 33%)?

In which spots are the marginal hands profitable? What are some of the statistical facts that weaker players either do not know or do not understand? What are the worst plays one can make? What are some of the difficult plays that only pros make?

Don’t be afraid to ask yourself some unconventional questions. Remember if you know more than your competition and understand how to apply it, you have an edge.

2) Love what you do. What kind of maniac goes to play online poker while he is on a break during the World Series intermission? Scott Fishman (http://www.scottfischman.com/). Loving what you do makes a huge difference.

Scott is a prototype of those who love what they do and do what they love. It comes as no surprise that he became, at the age of 23, the youngest player to win two World Series gold bracelets. It is highly doubtful that he could achieve this feat without absolutely loving the game.

Imagine Scott (or any other highly successful pro) sighing or feeling uninterested as he sits down to play poker. You can’t give a peak performance when there is no inner excitement about what you do.

Negativity is a major detriment to your performance any way you look at it. Notice that if you love what you do, you will “take it apart”. While there is nothing wrong with expecting to be paid for your effort, considering money as an end in itself guarantees a somewhat “dry” experience that usually leads to a burn-out and excessive feelings of tiredness.

Playing simply because you love to play enhances your ability to pull through the rough spots.

Are you taking notes? Are you listening?

I’m giving you gems here